Hidden Treasures
by Stolen Kisses
Summary: AU When the Kaiba brothers find a strange girl, trouble follows. Who is she and what does she have that someone else wants? SetoIsis
1. So can we keep her?

Run, feet, run.

Faster, faster. Don't stop. Can't stop.

Have to keep running.

Tired.

So tired.

But can't stop…

Have to keep running…

*

It was raining.

She was running and it was raining. Her mind sluggishly tried to put things in order.

Her sandaled feet dashed across the wet pavement. Millions of thoughts pounded in her head, but she concentrated only on one.

_Run. _

She was so tired. But she couldn't stop running. She had to get away. Her arms and legs were screaming, begging for her to stop. So tired. If only she could rest for a moment. Her legs began to feel heavy. The road in front of her blurred, everything turning fuzzy.

_No! Have to-_

She lost her balance and fell. She flinched, pain shooting through her arms and legs. She blinked, trying to understand. She hadn't fallen on the pavement but onto something else. She looked up. Towering above her was a beautiful dragon. A magnificent dragon with blue eyes.

Her saviour.

Exhaustion washed over her. Her eyes closed and she collapsed at the dragon's feet. As she slept, the dragon stood over her, wings outstretched, protecting her.

_Thank you…_

*

"Mokuba! It's 11:49 at night and it's raining! Where the hell are you?"

The dark haired boy hid a smile as his older brother's voice rang in through their communicator. Somebody was having a good day. He pressed the button.

"I'm almost finished, Seto. I'll be there in a minute."

"You have 3 minutes."

Mokuba laughed as his brother disconnected. Seto may have sounded irritated but that was only because he was worried about him.   
He ran quickly, his ratty sneakers meeting the wet ground with a squish. He splashed through a puddle, water spattering his already muddy jeans. Seto was going to be so mad at him when he saw how he dirty he looked but he wouldn't get in trouble. He never did.

Well, there was that one time…

But other than that- never.

Mokuba grinned. He did this every Friday night- take a run around the front premises of the Kaiba Corporation. And every night ended the same way- with a visit to his favourite spot.

The statue.

He raced to get there, dark hair flying out behind him. The Blue Eyes statue had become, in a way, his friend. He talked to it and he knew that somehow the dragon understood him. That somehow, he cared. The dragon was his secret- his treasure.

He made it to the statue and was about to take his usual seat at its base. That's when he noticed her. 

She was sprawled out over the dragon's feet. Her ebony-coloured hair spilled onto the ground, long wet strands plastered to her face. Beautiful dark lashes were closed in sleep. She was wearing a pale dress with wide sleeves. The drenched fabric clung to her like a second skin.  Moonlight danced across the gold headband that crowned her hair. Bands of gold held twin locks by her face and another golden pair on her arms showed through the thin wet material of her dress. On her neck there was an eye-shaped necklace- also made of gold.

Whoa.

Mokuba slowly put the communicator to his mouth.

"Nii-sama…I think you better come here…"

*

11:53 PM

9-15-03

From: H094

To: R

Re: Failed Capture

Mission failure. Subject successfully taken from home and loaded onto jet. Upon landing, subject escaped. Unable to recapture. Current whereabouts unknown. Awaiting further information from H093.

11:54 PM 

9-15-03

From: R

To: H094

Re: Failed Capture

Unacceptable. Find whereabouts of subject and await instructions upon recapture. Further incompetence will result in termination.

*

Seto Kaiba cursed under his breath. He was in no mood for Mokuba's games. 

He was having a bad day. And running (well, striding at an accelerated pace) through the rain was NOT improving his disposition. Not to mention the fact that the rain was ruining a perfectly good brand new suit. Nor was the knowledge that Mokuba would be filthy when he finally found him and would more than likely end up sick tomorrow too.

Not a good day.

He headed straight for the Blue Eyes statue. Mokuba loved the statue; Kaiba had seen the boy actually talking to it on more than one occasion. 

Seto sighed, anxious to retrieve his brother and return to the warmth of the limo. He could see the dragon now. Mokuba was standing in front of the statue, oblivious to the pouring rain. He was staring down at the dragon's feet. Looking down at…a…a girl?

Kaiba stopped behind his younger brother dumbfounded. Lying across the Blue Eyes' feet was a girl. An unconscious girl. Mokuba turned around. His mass of hair was dripping wet, leaving dark droplets on his shirt. He grinned.

"Can we keep her?"

*

_Isis__, wherever you go…_

_Trouble will follow you…_

*

Author's Notes: 

Okay, everyone, that's the first chapter! This is my first story so I'm open to constructive criticisms. So tell me what you think ^_~

*~Stolen Kisses~* 


	2. Where am I?

"So can we keep her?"

Kaiba looked down at his little brother. The raven headed boy was grinning up at him with pure joy.

"Are you insane?"

Mokuba looked crushed. "Aw, c'mon, Seto! She's homeless and she's on our statue! Please, can't we keep her?" 

"You're right; I should have her arrested for trespassing."

"Seto!"

"Mokuba, you can't be serious. There's no way in hel-" Kaiba stopped and looked at Mokuba. "What are you doing?"

He sniffled and his lower lip trembled. Wrinkles began to appear on the skin of his tanned forehead.

Oh God. Not the face.

Mokuba looked up at him, eyes quivering with every ounce of sadness he could muster. "It's _raining_! We can't leave her here!" He blinked up at Kaiba pitifully, sniffling again to make it complete.

The face.

Kaiba looked at the unconscious girl in question. Probably a prostitute, he thought in disgust, taking in all of her jewelry. He glanced at Mokuba then back at the girl again.

Damn that face.

He sighed. Against his better judgment, he took the girl in his arms and wordlessly stalked back to the limo. Behind him Mokuba grinned and pumped his fists in the air victoriously.

"Ah! Kaiba-sama!" The suit at the limo stared at the girl, eyes wide with confusion behind his shades. "What-"

Kaiba slammed the door shut as Mokuba ran over to the other side.

"Just shut up and drive."

*

12:01 AM

9-16-03

From: H093

To: H094

Re: Subject Located

Subject spotted at KC. Awaiting further information on whereabouts.

12:03 AM

9-16-03

From: H094

To: H093

Re: Subject Located

Good. Expect update soon. Make no move until you receive further instructions.

*

"Welcome back, Kaiba-sama!" The men bowed, opening the limo door. One scurried to get the mansion door open while the other remained by the car, making idle chatter.

"We have good-" He stopped midsentence as the brothers got out of the car, soaking wet, the eldest holding a female in his arms. "Kaiba-sama," he stuttered. "I didn't know-"

Mokuba cut him off. "Hurry up and prepare a room for our guest. Make sure she has the best of everything!" He grinned.

"O-of course! Right away!" The old man bowed quickly then ran inside.

Seto sighed then walked inside. Something told him this was going to be a long night.

"Kaiba-sama, we are preparing a room for your guest. Right this way."

The brothers followed the servant upstairs, down the hallway, into the room. Mokuba gave the room a quick glance. He frowned and began giving orders. Seto rolled his eyes and tossed the girl onto the bed.

"What are you doing? Why are you putting those over there? They should be to the right! And where are the towels? I _said _to the RIGHT! Can't you-"

"Mokuba."

The boy stopped giving orders long enough to look up at his brother in surprise. "Yeah, Seto?"

"Go and change out of those wet clothes."

"Okay." He nodded and started to leave. "Hey! That shouldn't be over-"

"Now, Mokuba. Go and change now."

He smiled again then ran out of the room. After he was gone Kaiba sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair. He glanced at the girl lying peacefully on the bed.

Great. Just great. Now he had prostitutes sleeping in his house. Why couldn't he just say no to the face? He scowled and took a better look at the creature that was already causing him so much misery.

Long strands of her dark wet hair stuck to the sides of her smooth brown face. In her sleep she grimaced, full lips contorting. Unconsciously her fingers reached up and grazed the surface of her eye-shaped necklace.

That necklace…

He bent over her sleeping form and his hands clumsily felt for the back of the necklace, trying to unlatch it. Accidentally, his fingertips brushed against the cold skin of her neck. Kaiba held his breath, panicking slightly. _Don't wake up…_

She opened her eyes.

Time froze for a brief moment. Blue eyes locked onto blue eyes. Their faces were barely inches apart- so close he could _smell_ her. She smelled _nice_… like… jasmine…

She blinked and her lips parted slightly. Then, thankfully, she sighed and went back to sleep.

Kaiba watched her for a few moments. She was sleeping soundly again. Carefully this time, he leaned over her and unclasped the necklace. Without waking her, he lifted it away from her neck. It was surprisingly heavy. He tested its weight in his hands. Almost as if it was made of real gold. Seto turned the necklace over and looked at the back. It was engraved with what looked like…

"Hieroglyphs?" But why would she have such an expensive looking necklace? And the hieroglyphs, what could they mean? Puzzled, Kaiba slipped the piece of jewelry into his pocket. He'd figure it out later.

He motioned to one of the men running in and out of the room.

"Yes, Kaiba-sama?"

"Run a background check on this girl. I want to know who she is, where she came from and why she's here. Got it?" Absently, he fingered the necklace in his pocket.

"Y-yes, sir…"

Kaiba glanced back at the girl lying on the bed. She had curled up into a fetal position, shivering.

"One more thing."

"Yes, sir?"

"Put something dry on her. Make sure she's still alive in the morning."

"Of course."

*

_Blue eyes…_

_I can see blue eyes…_

_Blue eyes watching over me…_

_Thank you blue eyes…_

_Thank you for keeping me safe…_

*

Outside the Kaiba mansion, far away, concealed by darkness, a man laughed bitterly. He snapped the sleek thin laptop shut.

"Kaiba Corp hm? This should be fun."

*

_Something…_

_Something smells nice…_

Lazily, a pair of cerulean eyes blinked open, trying to focus. Blues and reds and blacks sharpened, slowly slipping from silhouettes into images. Pajamas. She was wearing red flannel pajamas. The soft material grazed against her wrists while she stared at it in wonder. She was lying in a bed wearing red flannel pajamas. Gingerly, she touched one of the sheets she was under. Everything was so soft. And warm.

_Am I dreaming?_

She shifted her gaze to a figure in front of her. She blinked. A boy. A little boy she had never seen before was sitting on her bed.

This was new.

The little boy smiled, tilting his head to the side. It was a sweet smile, a smile from one friend to another. He was holding a plate. Food. That explained the nice smell. She studied the strange boy, took in his messy dark hair, wide gray eyes, and dark innocent face. He seemed harmless enough.

He offered her another smile and she couldn't help smiling back. His smile grew into a grin and he spoke. 

_"Ohayo, nee-san!__ Ogenki desu ka?"_

The words tumbled around in her still sleeping mind. This wasn't a very familiar language and yet somehow vaguely she knew that she should know what it meant. And even stranger still, her tongue knew how to respond.

"Morning. I'm…fine…I think…"

The smile grew even wider. "Great! Look!" He took the cover off of the plate he was holding. "Brought you breakfast!"

She smiled back and sat up. His enthusiasm was infectious. So what if she was confused as hell? "Thank you… um…"

"Mokuba. My name's Kaiba Mokuba." He placed the plate in her lap.

She took the fork he presented and stabbed something on the plate. "Nice to meet you, Mokuba. I'm Isis." She stuffed a forkful into her mouth. Delicious. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything this good. Or anything at all.

"How is it?" Mokuba asked, watching her attack the food.

"Mg-," She swallowed. "It's good. Very good." She launched another assault with her fork. "Say, Mokuba… Um, where are we?"

He sat up straighter and answered very matter of factly, "We're in the Kaiba mansion. This is your room."

_Kaiba…?_

"Kaiba mansion?" Confused, she looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah, as in Kaiba Corp? Number one game company in the country?"

"I'm sorry but," she smiled apologetically, none of this making sense, "What country are we in?"

The little boy named Mokuba, her newest best friend, looked at her strangely. 

_"Japan…"_

And then Isis looked at Mokuba, at the food in her lap and then finally, Isis looked outside.

"We're in Japan…"

*

_They are hiding in the shadows…_

_My __Isis_, please stay safe...__

*

Meanings:

_Ohayo, nee-san! Ogenki desu ka? – _Morning, sister! How are you?

Author's Notes:

Second chapter! Finally! Sorry for the delay-will try to be faster @_@ Thank you to all the wonderful people who reviewed! ^o^ *likes reviews* Isis is a sound sleeper, ne? -_-;

Remember: Reviews are gooood! ^_~

*~Stolen Kisses*~


	3. Home Sweet Home

_Home…_

_Banging on the door_

_Run have to run_

_Can't run but have to_

_Dark so dark and then_

_Free_

_Run feet run_

_Don't stop_

_Can't stop running_

_*_

 "We're in Japan…"

_I'm in __Japan__…_

Suddenly the sides of Isis's head began throbbing- the beginnings of a horrible headache. A mishmash of thoughts and events flooded her head, blue eyes, strange men, a plane, running in the rain, a dragon. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Are you okay…?" The little boy with the sweet smile, Mokuba, was looking at her worriedly.

Isis smiled at him. "I'm fine, still a little tired I think."

All traces of worry immediately vanished from his face. He took the now empty plate from her lap and out of nowhere a maid appeared and whisked it away.

Mokuba flashed another one of his beautiful smiles her way. "So do you like your room? We fixed it up for you after we found you by the statue."

_Found?_ "Um, what statue?" 

"The Blue Eyes White Dragon statue. I found you there in the rain. Then we brought you here," he said proudly.

She smiled inwardly at his boasting. "Thank you." She glanced around the room. "You said 'we'. Who's-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of the door swinging open. Mokuba swiveled around and she looked to see a most beautiful creature standing by the door. Brown hair framed a pale face. She found herself caught in his gaze, fixed in place by his eyes. 

Blue eyes.

"Ah, nii-sama!" Mokuba scrambled off the bed and towards the man at the door. 

And the brother spoke, making no notice of the dark haired cherub now at his side. He spoke and his words were directed at her.

_"__Ahlan__ wa Sahlan."_

*

**8:32 AM******

**9-16-03******

**From:** H093

**To:** H094

**Re:** Subject Location Confirmed

Subject is located at KC Mansion. Is currently under care of KS. Reasons unknown.

**8:45 AM******

**9-16-03******

**From:** H093

**To:** H094

**Re:** Subject Location Confirmed

Excellent. Begin surveillance on mansion immediately. Start new file on KS. 

*

_"__Ahlan__ wa Sahlan."_

The girl's azure eyes widened at the sound of his voice. She leapt out of bed and threw herself at Kaiba. Long slender fingers took hold of the front of his shirt as she began asking millions of questions, words he couldn't understand, in a language he didn't know. 

She stared up at him with desperate, pleading eyes. The tone of her voice changed and she began repeating the same thing over and over- begging him to- To answer, to help her- what she wanted he didn't know. And as Kaiba took in this enigma that fate had thrown in his path, he experienced an entirely new feeling.

For the first time, Kaiba Seto was at a loss.

And as quickly as it happened, the feeling of helplessness was gone.

Regaining his composure, Kaiba firmly took her hands in his and removed them from his person. Those wide blue eyes watched him in confusion.

"Mokuba." At the sound of his name, Mokuba blinked and snapped out of the shock from the scene he had just witnessed.

"Yeah, Nii-sama?"

"Don't waste too much time on this girl. Understood?"

His little brother nodded and Kaiba walked away, conscious of those eyes on his back as the girl watched him leave.

In his mind her foreign words echoed, accompanied by the image of that lost expression on her face. She had expected him…to do something. Something that he hadn't done; hadn't been able to do.

He scowled.

_Damn her…_

*

Tariq swore after reading his last received email. This assignment was getting ridiculous. What had started out as a simple kidnapping had turned into a baby-sitting job.

_'__Begin surveillance on mansion immediately.'_

Surveillance on the Kaiba mansion. How in hell was he supposed to get close enough to the home of Japan's richest brat? The place was swarming with bodyguards and staff, not to mention millions of dollars worth of frigging high-tech security systems. Trying to break in would be murder.

He stared at the message and the black and white directive stared back at him. Trying to break into the Kaiba mansion would be murder but disobeying an order would be suicidal.

_Shit…_

Tariq absently watched the mansion from his post down the street as he considered his options. First thing that came to mind was installing his equipment inside the mansion so he could monitor the comings and goings from a safe distance. But that was impossible, he realized as he watched the amount of people outside the building even at this hour in the morning. He smiled wryly. A bunch of suits tripping over each other.

And then, Tariq got an idea.

He laughed and sent his reply.

*

**9:06 AM******

**9-16-03******

**From**: H093

**To:** H094

**Re:** Surveillance

Beginning internal surveillance of mansion and subject. Will report once positioned.

*

_What just happened here?_

Isis sat on the bed, her head throbbing intensely. Now she was thoroughly confused. First, the warm reception from Mokuba then his older brother who came in, welcomed her, ignored her and left.

_Ow__, my head…_

She rubbed her temple, a vain attempt to ease the pain. The girl turned and realized Mokuba was still there and still watching her every movement.

"Sorry about my brother," he said, almost sheepishly. "Seto's just…like that." He shrugged and she received another one of his endearing smiles. "Well, I have to go but I'll be back in a while."

Her eyes opened in horror as she thought about being here in this strange place without this little boy.

Mokuba noticed her expression and laughed. "It's okay- you don't have to worry." He pointed to a door to the right of the bed. "Your bathroom's over there, so you can use it if you want." He turned and began to leave. "I'll be back later."

"Ne, Mokuba-chan…"

He turned. "What?"

Isis touched the sleeve of the flannel pajamas she was wearing. "My clothes…"

"There are some clothes in the closet- make yourself at home. Well, later." And Mokuba left her all alone in the strange room.

She sat there by herself, waiting for a few moments, a part of her hoping that he would come back. But he didn't. 

She sighed. Might as well take him up on that bathroom offer...

*

Kaiba stalked inside his office and slammed the door behind him. He sat at his desk and began checking his files. He was in a bad mood, for reasons he couldn't explain, even to himself.

An update beeped in the lower right corner of the massive monitor, demanding his attention. Warily, he double-clicked on it. The title of the message leaped off the screen.

**_RESULTS OF BACKGROUND CHECK_******

He sat up. They wanted his attention, well, now they had it. He clicked again and the contents of the message appeared.

**Subject: Isis (Last Name unknown)**

**First appeared at KC outer premises.**** Reasons unknown.**

**Gender: Female**

**Estimated age: 17**

**Nationality: Unknown – suspected to have some Egyptian ties**

**History: Unknown – No matches found.**

Kaiba stared at the computer in disbelief. Assholes. That's what he was working with. A bunch of incompetent assholes. He asked for information on the girl- not asinine observations that a fourth grader could have made. _What_ was he paying these people for? Japan's finest and they give him a lousy half a paragraph of data. He closed the window, disgusted. 

He reached in his pocket and took out her necklace. An eye. A gold eye. He flipped it over. The strange hieroglyphs were still there, and he still had no idea what they meant. But at least 'Japan's finest' had one thing right. She did have some Arabic ties.

The memory of her face when he greeted her in Arabic came back to him. Those eyes sorrowed blue eyes as she pleaded with him in a language that was her own. 

That face…

Kaiba scowled and opened up a new window and began typing with vengeance. If you wanted something done right, it was easier to just do it yourself.

*

Okay…Bath time…

Isis still didn't know why she was here or where her kidnappers were (or if the Kaiba brothers were actually the ones who kidnapped her, although that seemed unlikely) or what would happen to her. But she was taking this one step at a time. Thinking about her situation only led to headaches and headaches never helped anything.

The girl walked to the bathroom door and pulled it open. And was amazed.

The bathroom was immense; larger than anything she had ever seen before. Beautiful intricate white tiles covered the walls and the floor. Beautiful fluffy towels and rugs, all with delicate embroidery. The face basin (not a sink; a basin) gleaming silver handles and faucet. Above it hung a large mirror with transparent kanji running down the sides. The entire room blended together, a blue and white shiny wonder.

In the mirror, a bedraggled girl with dirty brown skin and tangled black hair stared back at her with a bewildered expression.

Still in awe, she made her way to the walk in closet. And there she found clothes.

Clothes in every shade of colour imaginable, in every style, design and pattern. Skirts, blouses, jeans, dresses. There was enough in here to clothe ten females for any occasion. From casual outfits to a few articles she had never even dreamed of ever wearing. She fingered a pale lavender kimono in wonder. She looked down and was assaulted by a multitude of shoes.

Isis walked around the closet, trying to take it all in. Hangers and hangers of clothing- all with the tags still attached. The new clothes smell was so thick, it was intoxicating. Then she noticed that there was a dresser.

Curious, she opened the top drawer. Underwear. White, pink, blue, purple, flowered, Hello Kitty underwear. She pulled open the second drawer. Socks, stockings and more socks. She bent and opened the bottom drawer. Sanitary napkins and other feminine products.

Face warm, she shut the drawer and went to the colossal bathtub, began to fill it up and dumped an entire bottle of bubble bath in. She stripped and got into the tub.

As the water began to rise and the bubbles started to form, she closed her eyes. 

_'Just make yourself at home.'_

And more than ever now, that's just where Isis wanted to be.

*

**10:03 AM******

**9-16-03******

**From:** H094

**To:** R

**Re:** Subject observation

H093 has begun monitoring subject. Information to be sent with the next 24 hours.

*

_Far away where I don't belong…_

_Please…Tell me why I am here…_

*

AN:

Ahlan wa Sahlan – Welcome _(Arabic)_

Chapter 3- Finally! @_@ Sorry, I've been busy with school, etc, etc. Next chapter will be up sooner- I promise!

Kisses to all my reviewers and to the wonderful people who've added me to their favorites! Love you all! ^o^

*~Stolen Kisses*~


	4. Lost

Isis leaned back into the now full bubble bath. She blinked her long velvet lashes closed and sighed.

_Home… _

Her home was in Egypt, back with the memory of her mother. The mother who loved books and cultures and languages and shared that love with her only daughter. It was because of her mother that she had spent her life studying and learned of the places they longed to visit and see.

She smiled wistfully. If her mother had known that Isis would end up in Japan, she'd have demanded to come with her.

Of course if her mother were still alive, she'd never have been here in the first place.

Gingerly, Isis touched her right upper arm. It was throbbing slightly- she hadn't noticed it until now. Gently she touched the area. It was sore but no visible damage. _Must've hit it or something…_

Isis stepped out of the bathtub and enveloped herself in one of the many fluffy towels. She stepped in front of the mirror and picked up silver-handled brush. With several firm strokes she began working out the tangles in her hair, pulling the ebony lengths smooth. As she brushed her hair she began sorting out her thoughts- her mind remarkably clearer since the bath.

If Isis was here in Japan then it meant that her brother was also somewhere in this country; possibly even in this city. In any case, wherever he was, he was looking for her.

Isis set the brush down and studied her reflection in the mirror again. The image hadn't changed since the last time she had looked except the girl that stared back was serious, determined.

The Kaiba mansion was not home- her real home didn't exist anymore. But for now it was safe.

---

Tariq tugged on his right sleeve with his teeth, struggling to button the wrist. With the other hand he tapped on the keyboard, completing his homemade employee profile. It was a precaution – should anybody investigate the new face around the Kaiba mansion. But with some luck it wouldn't be necessary; hopefully he'd blend in.

He stopped typing and double-clicked, uploading the information to the main staff database. As his computer hacked its way in, he buttoned the wrist of the white long sleeved shirt and then shrugged on his jacket.

The faux information was a precaution but a flimsy one. If anyone really pursued it they'd find that the references were a hoax and then Tariq would be in deep shit.

Tariq turned up the freshly starched collar and began tying his necktie. After the knot was secure he turned the collar back down and fixed it. Then he checked for his newly printed employee ID.

This was risky as hell but it was a lot better than his other alternative.

He smoothed his jacket, slipped on his shades and checked his reflection in a mirror on his way out.  
Another Kaiba Corp suit, ready for duty.

---

Isis emerged from the bathroom, clean, refreshed and in a slightly calmer state of mind. She went over to the bed and ran a hand over the lavender spread. Since she had gone in the bathroom, someone had come and made up the bed. She shook her head in disbelief, causing a few black strands to graze her face. _Unreal._

Now that her mind was considerably clearer, she could actually start thinking rationally again.

Isis studied the bedroom. When she woke up this morning, she was wearing pajamas. Which meant that her own clothes were somewhere in this house. Hopefully within this room.

She took in the room from left to right. Curtains, table, bed, door, dresser…

_Yes._

Isis went to the bureau and yanked the top drawer open by its brass handle. It was empty except for a neatly folded linen garment lying near the back of the drawer. She picked it up and the dress fell to its full length again her. Isis clutched it to her chest, grateful for the familiar feeling of her own clothes. Cradling the dress with her left arm, she peered into the drawer again.

Gold.

_Thank God, _she thought and dropped the dress to pick up the jewelry. Her armbands…her earrings…headpiece…hairbands…She reached the end of the jewelry pile where one last hairband lay.

The necklace was missing.

She pushed the drawer shut and her mind began working overtime, producing quick, rapid, broken thoughts.

_My brother must have it-They must have taken it when they kidnapped me. If he has it then-_

The bedroom door clicked open softly. Isis whirled around to see the younger Kaiba brother standing in the doorway.

"Back."

The girl smiled in relief. He had almost given her a heart attack. "Welcome back," she replied, as he came up next to her.

"So what're you doing?" Mokuba questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"Just looking at my stuff." Isis paused. "Ano…Is this everything?"

A puzzled expression crossed Mokuba's face. "It should be." He bent and retrieved her dress from the floor and held it out to her. "Why? Is something missing?"

"Thank you." She accepted the dress from him and thought quickly. "No, it's just that I don't see all of my hair things here." She showed him the ones sitting on top of the bureau. "There should be one more."

He glanced at the jewelry, a slight wrinkle forming in his forehead as he thought. "Really? It should be there." He pulled the drawer open and stuck a small tanned hand inside. He felt around for a few minutes then withdrew his hand, grinning. In his palm was the small golden circle.

"It must have rolled to the back," Mokuba said, offering it to her.

"Thank goodness! I thought I had lost it." She smiled, feeling horribly guilty for lying to the boy, even if it was only a small fib. Carefully she placed the ornaments back in the drawer along with the refolded dress.

"You found the clothes," Mokuba noted, taking in her appearance for the first time. He looked her up and down, causing Isis to glance down at the outfit. She wore a pair of comfortable blue jeans that flared slightly to the bottom and a white t-shirt with a brand name she didn't recognize written across the chest. On her feet were plain white ankle socks.

"Well, the closet was kind of hard to miss…"

The younger boy shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, it was nothing. And Isis realized to him it probably was.

"So, are you ready for a tour of the house?"

"I guess so," Isis answered, not having much of a choice as Mokuba put his hand in hers and led her through the door.

---

The man strode purposefully up to the large iron wrought gates. Two guards were sitting in a small booth, composed of wood and glass. Through their dark sunglasses, they spared him a quick glance. A voice crackled through the intercom.

"ID?"

He pulled the small laminated card out of his jacket and held it up to the glass. One gave it a brief once over then nodded to the gate operator.

"He's clear. Let him in."

With a push of a button, the iron doors swung open slowly and he stepped through them. He walked up the driveway swiftly until he arrived at the front entrance of the mansion. Before he could knock or do anything, the double doors soundlessly opened.

As he entered the building, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a tiny security camera directed at the thick wooden doors. He made a quick mental note of it.

_Watch for cameras,_ he thought to himself.

Tariq scanned the interior of the house from behind the safety of his dark mirrored shades. Four floors, he noted. Virtually empty except for the occasional household staff member disappearing and reappearing. He should be able to take a quick look around the building unnoticed.

He walked across the marble floor, listening to the soft sharp tapping of his black polished shoes as they echoed into the stillness of the room. Somehow he knew that if he looked down he'd be able to see his own reflection in the floor. For a moment he was seized by the urge to do so- to look down- but he resisted and remained in character.

So this was it, the home of the famed Kaiba Seto. It was a beautiful building- an architectural triumph, furnished with priceless articles from the shimmering crystal chandeliers that hung from the high ceilings to the hand-woven carpets that lay on the marble flooring. It was the kind of place that was fit for walking around in and admiring, not one in which people would touch and laugh and talk and live.

Even the silence that pervaded the house seemed fragile. Despite his twenty-six years, the silence made him feel like a child; small and afraid. He clenched his teeth. Time to stop being stupid and figure out-

"Hey! You!"

Tariq turned at the sound of the brusque voice to see a graying, slightly heavyset man walking towards him.

"Security, right?" Not waiting for a response or even bothering to look at Tariq, he continued. "Second floor- east wing." Then his features twisted into a frown. He moved past the younger man, talking in abrupt undertones through his wire.

_And so it begins…_

Tariq cast another quick glance around the room then listened to the soft _clicks_ of his shoes as he made his way to the staircase.

---

It wasn't a house she was in, Isis had realized ten rooms ago. It was huge and beautiful but it couldn't possibly be a house.

"And this is my room," Mokuba said, opening yet another door.

Isis stepped inside and looked around. The room was outfitted with elegant mahogany bookcases that showcased volumes of hardcover leather-bound books. Historical paintings lined the walls and neat bonsais sat on strategically placed low end tables. She moved further inside and picked up a book that had been left open on a desk. Fujiwara Teika.

It was a peaceful room; save a few modern touches, what she had always envisioned a traditional Japanese room to look like. However, it didn't seem fit for a somewhat reckless eleven year old boy. Isis glanced down at the kanji covered pages in her hands.

"This is your room?" She arched an eyebrow at him doubtfully.

Mokuba grinned mischievously, caught. "Nah, it's one of Seto's."

"Seto?"

"Yeah, Nii-sama. You met him, remember?"

Oh yes. _That_ Seto.

The memory of their meeting came back to her all at once and immediately warmth flooded her face. Gently, Isis placed the book back where she had found it. She took in the room again, this time with a different perspective.

So Seto sat in here? She tried to picture him sitting at this desk, head bent as he read Teika. She could see him deep in thought, brown hair grazing his forehead as the morning light fell on his face, casting soft shadows above his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes…

Quickly, Isis reined in her mind, taking control of her thoughts. Fleetingly, she thought of something.

"Should we even be in here? I mean, won't he-"

"Be mad?" Mokuba nodded. "Yeah, if he catches us in here he'll be furious." Her tour-guide seemed unconcerned with having to deal with an angry older brother.

Isis, however, was not so easily reassured. "Okay, we can move on now."

No sooner had the words left her mouth, there was a knock on the door. Heart pounding wildly, she turned.

At the door was not the elder Kaiba as she had feared, but a much shorter, meeker looking maid. The small woman bowed slightly and addressed them. "Excuse me, miss, but I've come to escort you to Dr. Gensai, upon the request of Kaiba-sama."

Isis knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "Doctor?"

The maid offered a slight smile. "Just as a precaution, miss. You did spend quite a bit of time in the rain last night."

Unsure, Isis glanced at Mokuba. He nodded. "Go. We can finish the tour later."

"But-"

There was no room left for arguments as the maid took Isis by the arm – with amazing strength considering her size – and led her down the hall. She looked over her shoulder and Mokuba was watching her go, a faint hint of a smile on his face.

---

Kaiba leaned back into the soft leather of his chair until his head met the headrest. Absently he made it move, swiveling gently from side to side. The light from the computer screens cast an eerie glow on the walls and vaguely he wondered again why it was always so dark in here.

He was bored.

It was something he was used to- being bored. He'd just wait until something happened then it'd pass. He sighed.

A faint buzz came from the speaker near the door. Not looking or moving he pressed a button near the keyboard. "What is it?"

"Sir, Dr. Gensai."

Kaiba sat up sharply and walked to the door. It slid open automatically, revealing a tall woman in a lab coat. She held out a disk in a thin case to him. Less than graciously he accepted it and the door shut itself.

He made his way back into his chair and slipped the disk into the drive. The system hummed softly and the contents of the CD appeared on the screen.

He clicked impatiently and a myriad of windows opened up. Charts, numbers and figures cluttered each window. With a slight look of interest, he browsed through them one by one.

Forlornly the CD case lay on the desk, its title etched out in marker.

**RESULTS OF MEDICAL EXAMINATION: ****ISIS******

**---**

Tariq walked around the second floor of the mansion, trying not to look as lost as he actually was. He cast a quick glance at his watch. The digital numbers blinked at him. 2:07.

For the past 2 hours he'd been wandering around this damn house and he still hadn't seen the damn girl. And he was damn hungry.

Pitifully, his stomach growled.

_Okay…Let's try downstairs again…Near the kitchen…_

He turned in what he hoped was the direction of the stairs. He took two steps then stopped.

She was coming out of a room, gently closing the door behind her. She looked around in bewilderment- obviously not the only one confused by the Kaiba mansion.

She wasn't as extraordinary as he would have imagined her to be, he thought as he studied her in the daylight.

Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders in a loose braid. The braid swished with the movement of her head as she peered down the long hallway. Dressed in jeans and a shirt there was nothing that would have distinguished her from anyone else. She looked like a normal girl. But although he didn't know exactly why, he knew that she was of value to a few very important people. People who decided whether he lived or died.

She turned around.

And it occurred to Tariq, three seconds too late, that he probably should not have let her see him.

---

_As I look about,  
Neither flowers nor autumn-tinted leaves  
Near the grass-thatched hut  
That stands alone by the shore.  
The autumn dusk._  
  
Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241)

---

AN:

Chapter 4! -hides her head in shame- This was kind of later than planned -.-;; But it wasn't my fault- I had the chapter all written out and everything but my computer (bless its soul) died. So blame the lack of update on the death of my computer- not I. But the next chapter WILL up soon- its almost finished…  
-holds up three fingers- Promise!

Let me know what you think- criticisms, compliments, condolences- all accepted. Kisses to everyone that has been reviewing and chocolate for new reviewers!

And as always, I own nothing- not YGO, Kaiba Seto, Isis or even Fujiwara no Teika. Much love,

Stolen Kisses


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